A Child's Best Friend
Many intriguing questions about dogs and their behavior puzzled a class of young children on their morning walks. What do dogs eat? How do dogs bark? Do they take baths? Do they have a house? These inquiries led to an extensive, ongoing study of dogs.
The children investigations included taking care of dogs in the classroom and watching a dog being groomed. The class met a rescued dog named Dr. Quincy, heard its moving story, and then later exchanged letters and pictures with its owner. When a classmate's dog became lost, the children helped her search for it. They also learned about photography and took an exciting field trip to photograph each other's dogs.
During the project, students represented their learning by shaping dog forms and artifacts out of clay and found objects. They created a collage/mural about dogs for the entire school. The children read and shared numerous fiction and nonfiction books about dogs, and in the process, the children acquired new vocabulary. They also improved their skills in speaking and asking questions and completed several writing activities.
The dog project became personal to many students, with much eager discussion about dogs the children knew. Tyler described his dog, "Cyrus is a big, big, dog, bigger than the school. Cyrus, he's just big, about this tall. He's got every color of brown". Isaiah talked about his dog, Bobo. "That my Bobo. Brown for Bobo. Bobo eats dog food, bones." By sharing information and personal experiences about the characteristics and daily life of dogs, the children gained a great deal of knowledge. This exchange of ideas also helped the children recognize relationships as well as find their dogs' similarities and differences. The "project" created a web of connections among the children, their families, the school community, and the greater community.